Iraqi Families on the Borders

As the economic crisis deepens and all eyes are on the new Obama administration, the dire situation of Iraqi refugees has been ignored in the media. The U.S. promises $2 billion to expand services in neighboring countries and ensure safety for those displaced within Iraq, but doesn’t say how or when. The U.N. High Commission on Refugees has identified only 50,000 people for resettlement. The U.S. will accept up to 17,000 Iraqi refugees in 2009. But the United Nations counts more than 4.5 million Iraqi refugees, with 2.5 million stuck in bordering countries. More than tales of bombs and battles, these are the real war stories. In the fall of 2008, I traveled to Jordan and Syria to speak with these people. These portraits represent people from across a wide economic, cultural, and political landscape who now share common harrowing stories of escape and survival.